Pokemon: Red's Version
by GroovyV
Summary: It wasn't about the friends, the adventure, or the Pokemon. He just... really needed the money.   Pokemon Revamp   Anime GAMES Manga
1. Static

**Author's Note**: Just thought that a good 'ol revamp was something that could help me get out of a slump with my other fics. Still, this feels like it could really be fun. The anime for this just freakin sucks now (even if I still Love Cilan), and so, having never really read any of the manga series', (but knowing of the stories' plot points) I figure I'll just mesh together what I _do_ know, and create my own version of this character.

**Summary**: It wasn't about the friends, the adventure, or the Pokemon. He just really needed the money.

**Disclaimer**: I make no money off of these characters, this series, or any pokemon-anything. This is purely fan-made, for the basis of increasing my writing abilities.

X

**Red's Version**__

_**Chapter 1: Static**_

X

_The clouds are getting dark again._

For the second time that day, as a matter of fact. When the dark haired young man had left school for home to get ready for work around 3, the sky had finally cleared after a morning of thunderous tension. Not a single drop of rain in town the whole day. Now though, less than a quarter shy of 10 o'clock at night, he could see the clouds clumping together again, illuminated by the lightning bolts among them.

Chucking his apron and newly received paycheck into his backpack, and fishing out a broken in cap and music player, he ran towards the sidewalk on the far side of the supermarket, where the bus stop resided.

If the young man didn't hurry, the tunnel and overhead-bridge leading out of Viridian would be closed (in order to prevent possible flooding, which happened with eerie frequency during storms), and he'd be forced to head through the more grassy paths by _foot_.

Seeing as how he didn't have a single Pokemon to his name, the red-capped young man knew that that was too dangerous an option to actually consider.

He could see the bus now, several blocks up the street, and stood in front of the bench and sign, tapping his foot to the beat of the music. The youth had made sure to plan his exits from work in perfect sync (or as perfect as he ever planned anything), because if he failed to catch this bus, the final one of the night, his mother, tired from her own day of work, was his only other option.

When the bus finally did pull up, the young man nodded as he boarded, and smiled to the driver, this time being an older looking woman with short silvery hair. He picked a seat towards the middle of the bus, noticing that only a few others were even riding at this hour.

There was a hunched over looking man in tattered clothes a few seats ahead and on the opposing left side of the bus. A younger looking couple, maybe a little older than the young man himself, sat at the very back, tickling each other and exchanging quick kisses. _Get a room._

The red capped youth removed his backpack and set it beside him. He then laid his head back, content to let his eyes rest as the trip back home began once again.

OoOoO

_A big yellow moon, full and round… _

_Best part is we can look all we want, and not get our eyes turned into sunny-side up eggs, like the cartoons do when _they_ look at the sun for too long. _

_She laughs all crazy when I mention the cartoon part. He tries not to laugh, and just says I'm an idiot. _

_It's cool out here, but none of us ever bring jackets, and quiet, especially since the adults all make sure that Pokemon don't come here. _

_We try and calm her laughing, because with everything all quiet, she sounds even louder, and that makes us laugh._

_When we come here, we huddle up, or just lie near each other, and sometimes even hug and hold hands. Sometimes, we __**need**__ to hug and hold hands._

_My parents are fighting, her parents are gone, his parents ignore him, but…_

_When the weekend comes, and we sneak out into the forest south of town, where the ocean just lies there, copying the sky…_

_We're together, and we'll never need anything else. _

OoOoO

_THUMP!_

The bus had hit a particular speed bump a bit too quick, and the young man's eyes fluttered open. He noticed the old man, the one with the crusty looking clothes several seats ahead, staring back at him with a rather glum looking face.

_Hope he doesn't ask me for money._ The youth barely made enough for what he _needed_, which left no room for charity, lest he and his mother end up in just the same homeless-looking state as the ratty looking man. He seemed to prepare to stand up and come over, and the youth tensed, wrapping his fingers around his music player. Perhaps an unnecessary overreaction, but the youth wasn't thinking particularly clearly at this hour of the night.

Suddenly, the man lurched forwards.

XxX

"Red? Is that you?"

I hobbled in past the dining table to the kitchen, sending a, "Yeah, it's me," in the direction of the hall beneath the stairs to my room. I opened the door of the fridge, and dug into the middle shelf, hoping to find the one thing I desperately needed at the moment.

My mother walked into the kitchen in her sweats and bathrobe a few minutes later, finding me sniffing rather anxiously at some leftovers in a small green container.

"Sorry honey," she said apologetically, taking the tupperware out of my hands, "I've been meaning to throw this out. I'm sure it expired already."

That was precisely why I'd sought it out. I needed something strong to get this smell out of my nose.

"What's with the face? Something wrong?"

She was back in my field of vision, as I'd now sat down at the small oak table by the fridge. _Maybe I should just scrub my nostrils out in the shower…_

I looked up at her and sighed. "Nasty old hobo threw up on the bus."

My mom's face cringed. "Disgusting! Did any of it get on you?"

My face cringed. "…just barely missed me. But the scent was gross. Like old eggs and fertilizer and-"

"No details!" She gagged.

"Anyway, I just need something to get the smell out of my nose. It's not going away." I tried breathing out hard through my nose again, into my hands in case anything came out. I sighed when I still whiffed the horrible smell, and gagged a little myself.

My mother gave me a pity pat on my cap. "Go wash up. Try stuffing some soap up those nostrils and see if it doesn't help. I'll make you a sandwich and some soup. Maybe add some garlic and onions too." She chuckled, before bending into the fridge and fishing for the ingredients.

_God. I don't even have the energy to get up right now. Good thing tomorrow's Saturday. Plus, Mom'll be outta the house…_

When she came back out from the fridge, holding spicy mustard and a jar of jalapeños, she turned and said, "Go take a shower, I said!"

I just grumbled and trotted up the stairs.

XxX

I tossed my clothes into the hamper by my room, and walked naked towards the shower across from it in the small hallway. I didn't bother staring at my reflection or messing with my hair. _Not due for another haircut for a while anyway. _I just went for the faucet of the bathtub, waiting for the water to warm so I could shift the nozzle above it and start the shower.

_No doubt I probably look scary…or stoned._

Having red eyes could do that to a person. My iris's were in-fact, red. Potentially "off-putting," to those who entered my personal space, they were even more unsettling (_**Terrifying's**__ probably a better word_) when combined with the red veins I easily got when I was tired/stressed.

I'd seen myself once when my eyes had been like that, at night, in front of a mirror... Nearly scared myself silly. _I looked like an undead axe-murderer in the middle of a roid-rage episode. _I didn't even want to think about how I'd look if a capillary ever were to burst in my eyes.

The water finally started to slightly burn my left hand under the faucet, so I switched the nozzle above it and turned on my shower. The tub itself wasn't very big, though it took up almost half the bathroom since the room itself was so small. Usually I'd just sit in the tub after filling it up, and turn the shower on as well, laying in warm water while more rained down on me.

Tonight though, I just wanted the gross smell to take a hike. I stood inside and immediately started lathering myself up, head to toes. I nearly buried part of my shower sponge up my nose before using it elsewhere, then breathing in through my mouth, and shooting the air forcefully out through my nose right after.

A few bubbles flew out.

OoOoO

_She's gone now. No note, no goodbyes, nothing to hold onto but our memories. _

_The moon looks less golden now, and the forest's silence is heavier too. He always hated the silence, and seemed to smile whenever she and I filled it, calling us both losers and dorks and saps here and there. _

_He and I are hugging now, on top of a blanket under the moon._

_I know it hurts him too, even though he's not crying like I am. _

_He says we'll sneak to Viridian tomorrow, to see if we can find her. But…_

_Why did she leave…_

_The two of them are the only things I needed, __**really**__ truly needed… but, I think for now, I can make do with just him._

OoOoO

I left the door to my bathroom open to let the steam air out quicker. After just standing there letting the hot water hit me for 20 minutes, the whole bathroom looked like a sauna. The fan in there needed to be fixed, and the small window wasn't exactly big enough for quick ventilation.

Walking back with a towel, I go to my room to change. A grey muscle shirt, blue cotton shorts, and flip flops. To me, that's comfort.

I saw my bowl of soup, a napkin set over it, and sandwich sitting on the table. Mom was probably watching tv in her room. "Thanks mom!"

"Sure thing hon!"

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and sat down with my meal.

About 3 minutes later, I was downing two more water bottles in an effort to put the fire out in my own mouth. _DAAAMN!_

My mother had apparently decided that the best way to help me combat the smell stuck up my nose, was to kill my sense of smell (and taste) entirely. _I… can't… BREATHE!_

Sure, I like spicy food. But I'm not the kind of person who enjoys _scalding_ their own tongue with a meal. I'm pretty sure there was even a telltale copper taste on my tongue, I think.

I tossed the remainder of the sandwich in the fridge before taking out a third water bottle, and then dumped the rest of my (Molten Lava flavored) soup down the sink._ Hope it doesn't _melt_ the freakin _pipes_._

XxX

I'd had two more bottles of water during my time online. Final project for my government class was a powerpoint presentation on the fundamentals of a properly structured government, and how this "ideal" government differs from our current one. _I'd rather eat a few more of mom's special sandwiches…_

I was only several slides in, out of the 20 that I needed, when I noticed that my email box had a new message, minimized at the left of the screen.

**2 New Messages**

I didn't usually get messages (except spam), from anyone, so to see two new ones that didn't mention **INCREASE YOUR SIZE**, or **LOWER YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT**, was enough to get me to open them.

One of them was a reminder to sign up for summer school soon, if I intended to at all, since slots were filling up fast.

The other was anonymous.

As soon as I opened it, my computer started seizing.

X

Well, _That's_ chapter 1! I'm uploading chapter 2 right after, so we'll see how you guys feel about it.

If you please, review to let me know what you think? Trying a few new things here and there with my style, so yeah.

**Stay Tuned for Chapter 2! Spark!**


	2. Spark

**Author's Note**: So, I'm uploading this second chapter along with the first, to better get this story flowing properly. Hope you guys enjoy it!

**Disclaimer**: I make no money off of these characters, this series, or any pokemon-anything. This is purely fan-made, for the basis of increasing my writing abilities.

X

**Red's Version**

_**Chapter 2: Spark**_

X

"_Still no new leads on the rash of robberi-"_

"_-believe it? She actually said tha-"_

"_-imply amazing! She's correct! You win the cash prize of 3-"_

"_ingdom Hearts: The Movie!"_

_Basic cable, 80 channels, and there's nothing on, nothing at all…_

XxX

After a morning of monotonous channel flipping, I went back upstairs to check my computer. The previous night, I'd opened up a stupid anonymous email, and nearly fried my whole computer. My outdated virus protection wasn't up to doing its job, so I did the only thing I could, and tried restoring my equally outdated computer to a previous state. Not sure if that was even gonna help.

Thankfully, I had most of the important things backed up on a disk drive, but still, it didn't really make me feel any better. First my shoes, then my taste-buds, and finally my computer: all ruined.

_Which reminds me._ _Ugh._ My shoes had sadly taken a hit the previous night, from a possibly _drunk_ homeless man spewing his stomach's contents all over the bus. My mother had asked if I had gotten any on me, and I lied.

Didn't want her thinking I needed to buy new shoes, since I know that even with our small safety net, wasting money like that wasn't a good idea. I just had to clean the hell out of them…

_Nasty._

XxX

After making myself a sandwich, (that _wouldn't_ make my scorched tongue any worse), I went outside to get the mail, and saw him.

It'd been a while, less than a month, since I'd actually _seen_ him, but there he was, right in front of his house, laughing with a few other guys from the neighborhood.

My mom's words from this morning danced back into my head.

"_**Just**__ rest? What a boring sounding Saturday… Why don't you call __**Blue**__? I haven't seen him over here in a long time."_

_Years ago, I would've laughed; those two were always switching names. "…You mean __**Green**__ mom. __**Blue**__, she's… the other one."_

"_Oh, right. Well, whatever color he is, call him over!"_

_Why bother? He won't answer._

I didn't try getting his attention, and walked back into the house.

OoOoO

_**He's**__ changed now. I don't know what I did, if maybe I just wasn't enough to keep us together… but, we'd failed to ever find her, and even though we stopped looking some time ago, I always thought he and I would be… ok._

_The moon is a cold looking grey now. I'm sitting on the grass, which I think is a little wet, and just staring up at it. The silence of the forest…_

_It only makes it all the more obvious that I'm alone out here. So obvious… that neither one of them are here._

_He doesn't want to see me anymore, said so right to my face, before pushing me into a locker. It was so gradual; I didn't even see much of the change till it got to this point. I didn't see it happening. I should've…_

_**She**__ always said I missed the obvious._

_I don't want to give up on him though, not like he and I gave up on-_

_I don't know how to be alone._

OoOoO

XxX

I stumble back into the house. Mom mopped or something yesterday, and my flip flops don't have very good traction at the best of times. I close the windows, since the clouds look a little darker today. _Maybe it's just the tinted windows?_ I hold up the mail in my hands, and walk over to the kitchen table. _At least __**these**__ shouldn't have viruses._

"Three letters today…two bills… and…" I looked at the blank envelope. Some bizarre address from a place I didn't know. It was always different, but _these_ letters always held the same thing.

A check.

I stare at the check in my hand, gripping it tightly, trying not to rip it. _Goddammit. _

It's several hundred less than the one a couple months ago.

I help pay the bills, using mom's credit cards. I always put a major portion of my paychecks, along with _these_ particular checks when they come in, into her account. As such, I always know how much money she has, and of course, how much I have.

We just paid last week. She'd nearly tapped herself out paying for all of the bills, with my help, and I knew, that even with her next paycheck, maybe even with mine, we might not have enough.

This mystery check (which really wasn't all the mysterious to me), wasn't enough to help anymore. The amount had steadily decreased over the years, and now, it had reached a point where it could barely help us at all.

_If we use some of our back-up money, it should… be enough… but, the month after that?_

Paying the minimum on everything we had was finally beginning to backfire on us. If it weren't for all the _debts_ that dear old dad had left behind, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with…

_We need more money, so unless she or I, (maybe even her __**and**__ I) turn to robbing banks, we're screwed._

XxX

I was beginning to regret not having any plans for today, since now my mind was boggled with our recently realized money troubles.

I decided I may as well watch more television to numb myself before I subconsciously began pulling out my own hair.

The only thing on that held any remote interest for me was a Pokemon League battle. Someone's Nidorino was battling someone else's… dark shadowy thing, though, having come in late, I had no idea who was battling who.

"_Both sides are beginning to look haggard, but still, neither side is giving an inch! Gengar appears to be preparing to launch a vicious Ghostly attack, while Nidorino seems about ready to charge through!"_

I wasn't usually interested in Pokemon much these days, but seeing the battle brought back memories from a happy past. I had taken two summers at a school for Pokemon Training during my 5th grade year, and found the whole experience to be completely mind blowing. Being able to control something so powerful (or at least with the potential to become so) did a whole lot to boost my ego. It was also that much more fun having my friends there, competing against them, sneaking away in the middle of the night to talk about it all…

Still, the end of that year was when most of my problems really started. _The loneliness for instance?_

But something from those summers did stick out in my mind. A fact that, once recovered from the depths of my cobwebbed memories, was starting to take root in my brain.

"Pokemon…trainers… compete for badges, to enter the Pokemon League and battle each other." From there, the winner of the tournament would be given the chance to battle the Elite Four, and if they won…

Fame…

And **Fortune**.

XxX

"Hello Professor Oak. This is Red. I know it's been a while since we last talked, but, um… I wanted to ask you about… Pokemon Training."

I watched the remainder of the program, where at the end it showed that the battle that had played was from a prior tournament. The tournament was starting again in a few months, and the only way for Trainers to get admitted was to collect a certain number of badges, which would grant that Trainer access.

"I was just wondering if, there was any chance that, maybe, I could become… a Trainer? I'm not entirely sure where to begin, so, if you could help, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Goodbye…"

I wasn't sure exactly, if becoming a Trainer these days was as easy as it had been when I'd been 10, where, at that age, it wasn't all that difficult to just get your first Pokemon, (as long as you scheduled in advance), and head on out. Although, thinking back, I wasn't very smart as a 10 year old, or at least, not as smart as I am now.

I hoped that he would call back soon, or maybe even have me over so we could discuss it all.

The plan I had cooking in my head wasn't all that well prepared:

_Become Trainer, Train Pokemon, Get Badges, Get money, Get into Tournament, Get more money, Battle Elite Four, Get even more money. Money…_

_Yeah…_

The only other current problems I faced were how I was going to get enough badges over the course of the summer before school started again, how I was going to earn enough money to help mom in the meanti-

_Oh crap. I still have to tell mom._

X

All right peoples, I intended for this to be at least a little longer, but I figured I'd just get it out there now and see what bites. I hope I've wet your appetite enough to want more though!

Let me know through a review, yeah?

_**Next Episode: Jolt**_

_Red confronts his mother about his plans for journeying for cash. Will he survive?_

_And if so, are there any potential road blocks from Professor Oak, only waiting to be tossed in his way? _

_Find out Next Time on,_

_Pokemon: Red's Version!_


	3. Jolt

**Author's Note**: Alrighty, here's chapter 3. Hope you enjoy it! More development, more characters, and yes, more Red-abuse by various means.

**Disclaimer**: I make no money off of these characters, this series, or any pokemon-anything. This is purely fan-made, for the basis of increasing my writing abilities, and maybe my barely-existent ego.

X

**Red's Version**

_**Chapter 3: Jolt**_

X

I had spruced up most of the house by the time mom usually came home, and had even put some fish I'd prepared earlier into the oven. I needed to lay as much padding down as I could, because this was going to lead to a pretty heavy fall no matter what way things turned out tonight.

I kept going over in my head, the pros and cons of even _becoming_ a Pokemon Trainer, and whether it was worth all this drastic hassle I was setting myself up for.

My dad had been a Pokemon trainer. He'd told me a lots of stories, back when I was like 5 or something, of how he'd seen so many different types, and about all the gyms he'd visited, and how far he'd traveled. Hearing all that had made so excited, dreaming about my own adventures, talking with my Blue and Green about traveling, and battling, and beating _everyone_…

Found out from mom and the Professor several years later, that dad had never made it past Viridian Forest, and got lost for almost 2 days. Part of me didn't want to believe it, but when I remembered that he never showed me a single badge, picture, or Pokemon of his own, I figured they were probably right.

Anyway, all these years, I'd mostly attributed Pokemon training to dad, even when I spent the summer taking classes at a camp back in the 5th grade. It had only been fun because of _them_, my _friends_; I spent the time that I wasn't trying to talk Pocket Monsters, with them, trying not to think about how my own dad had tried his hand at the trade, and failed miserably. Not to mention, how many other things he failed at afterwards.

_**DING!**_

The small egg timer beside the oven went off, signaling the near completion of dinner. I prodded the fish that was still in the oven, and found it nearly done, but kept the pieces inside, and turned it off.

"God it's hot…" I swept the back of my hand over my forehead, wiping my brow clear of the sweat that had gathered. False alarms or not, the stormy weather that had signaled a potential downpour for the last few days, had so far only succeeded in making it damn humid.

I went back to the living room and retrieved the small fan we usually kept by the couch. Placing it by the sink, I stood hunched over the counter, letting the cool air hit me head on.

OoOoO

_I walked back into the room, and saw Blue and Green saying "Ahhhhhhh," into the fan. They're voices sounded all funny, like aliens. Green's long hair was being swept over her back, the moving curls reminding me of one windy trip to the pool a few weeks before. _

_I went over to them, and asked them what they were doing, with a big smile on my face. _

_They had both made fun of me for doing making those sounds with the fan earlier, Blue saying it was annoying, and Green saying I looked like a weirdo (they had both switched names just a few days before)._

_But then, after a __**bathroom break**__, I came back and found them doing the same thing. _

_The two of them looked up at me, surprised to be caught. Usually, I take a while when I need to use the toilet, so I guessed they'd assumed I would've taken longer to get back. _

_Before either of them could say anything, I pulled the see-through plastic purple gun out from behind my back, and fired. _

OoOoO

"Hellllllooooooooooooo?"

I shot up straight, hitting my head on the cabinet, and turned around in pain to see my mom giving me a funny look.

"…You are _such_ a klutz… You okay?" She set her purse down onto the counter by the fan.

"Yeah. All good." I just kept rubbing my head, and went to grab a baggie for some ice. I'd put some Vaseline on it later.

She reached into the fridge below me, and grabbed some juice from the carton by the milk. "Mmmm….Something sure smells good." She looked over at the oven. "Whatcha cookin?"

"Just some fish," I answered, sliding the ice bag over my head.

"Pokemon, or…?"

I slipped on our Remoraid-shaped oven mitt, and took the tray out of the oven. "Regular fish."

She made an impressed sort of sound.

She looked at the fish on the tray, and said they looked a little burned. She was always trying to compare her food to mine, since, as pretty and magazine-looking as her dishes turned out, they were about as flavorful as plain oatmeal. Mine may have had the visual appeal of a highway-gas-station-sandwich, but they still always tasted good.

As I started to take the plates out, mom getting our drinks and settling into the table I'd already set, I realized I was shaking. I didn't want to tell her. _But we're broke, or at least, going to be. I __**need**__ to. _

I had no choice. _But… I _can_ hold off until after we eat…_

XxX

Halfway through the meal, she'd thanked me, saying she wasn't even sure she had the energy to make something herself, and briefly mentioned a tiring day of the usual tedium. She usually worked as one of the secretaries for some hotshot lawyer in Viridian, and for a side job, as a courier for Professor Oak.

Today she'd heard word from one of the assistants at the lab that the Professor was running low on Pokemon, what with the newest League Season starting up. I reached for some water to hide my face.

_Well that's bad news. Maybe the Prof. will save one for me or something if I ask _now_…_

Between stuffing my face to keep my fears bottled up till after dinner, thinking about what Type of Pokemon I'd ask for, and listening to my mom complain about how rude this one lady in the back of the law office always was to her, I barely had the chance to enjoy the meal.

She began running her fingers through her auburn hair, which formed a curtain around her plate as she bent her head low towards it. "I swear to you, that woman is a complete **shrew**. I can't go one day without hearing her …**Bitch** about something!" She threw her head up to stare back at me with a strained smile. "Still, I hear the big boss is considering bringing in some new blood, and that _Gengar_ of a woman could be on the fast track to the unemployment line."

_Hmmm… Ghost Type. Maybe…_

I nodded my reply with the water glass still firmly tilted toward my mouth. Except for the ice bouncing off my nose, there was no more water, so there went my distraction.

"Is something wrong? You seem… upset?"

If I'd known how to get my laugh back after several years without it, I would've started chuckling right there. Her 'mother's intuition' alerted her, as always, to the presence of a problem, but seeing as how she'd been out of practice with the whole **mom** thing for the last decade, that was about as far as her radar went.

I knew I was probably opening to the door to the biggest issue a little too early, but like a Sharpedo, once my mother caught the scent of her target, she rarely let go.

_Hmm…. Water type…_

"The check, the one that comes in…," I looked up at her, and found her following along, "…it was less than last time's. The amount's still decreasing."

I wasn't sure if she'd be able to put two and two together, and figure that next month we weren't gonna have enough for the bills (and the other crap), but her harsh cursing from across the table gave me the affirmative.

We worked hard, the both of us. Day in and day out was a constant struggle to keep afloat. And while we always managed just well enough (what with the well-deserved 'mystery' checks every month), it seemed that those days were drawing to a quick close.

Across the table my mother was staring at the remains of her plate, pulling at her hair, and probably running calculations for increased hours and raises, and whatever else could possibly save our asses as well as our home, through her mind.

_Dinner's over._ I took a deep breath, and hoped she wouldn't throw plates again. Food was so hard to get off the walls.

"I… have an idea."

She didn't look up, and made no showings that she'd even heard me. She was good at that.

"I already deposited the check I got. And the rest of the money is already there too." Thank God for odd jobs. "If we use our savings, we'll be okay for another month…"

But after that…

The money from my actual job at a Pokemon Supermarket wasn't enough to help anymore. And I was just two weeks away from summer vacation with a year of High School left to go. Not like any really high paying jobs were interested in someone in my position.

"I was thinking,…with summer almost here,… maybe I'd look into T-Training…?"

Mom's hands were still in her hair, but her head was now raised enough to look me in the eyes. "What?"

"Pokemon… Pokemon Training." My eyes were staring at the empty plate in front of me.

"…no."

"Look, even if I'm not good enough for the Badges and the League-"

"No."

"-I can still compete in smaller League-Sanctioned tournaments or something. The money from those is better than a monthly paycheck, and a bunch are gonna be opening really frequently with the League starting up again. It's the best way to-"

"NO!" Her hands slammed viciously onto the table, knocking over her glass and shaking the ice in mine.

"We need the money!" I stared as hard as I could into her eyes, darker than their usual chestnut color, and brimming with anger and so much more.

I knew every reason why she was dead set against it, but they didn't matter anymore. "I'm doing this," and I could feel my resolution solidifying, my plans for the days and weeks ahead coming into a focus I hadn't had in a long time, "I'm doing this, Mom."

Her chair fell backwards as she rushed towards the hall under the stairs. Her bedroom door slammed, and the hanging plants and the hanging keys and a bunch of other shit all shook from the force.

XxX

Outside of the focus for work (gotta work or were poor, gotta work or were homeless, gotta work or were screwed), or the focus for school, (good grades, diploma, scholarships, college, better job, money), I had never felt this strongly about what I had to do. Those other things had degenerated into basic mantras that kept me going, while the world around me blurred away, but this…

I had never felt so sure about a course of action, and whether it was because of some mix of childhood fantasy and honest-to-goodness Hope, I didn't care. I was going to follow it.

Just as soon as I cleaned my face.

Getting angry was one of the few emotions I had left, alongside the occasional Sad, and Content. I'd read somewhere that Happiness, Sadness, and Anger, were the three top emotions, the truest ones, like the colors Red, Green and Blue… or was it Yellow, and Red, and Blue? Whatever. Point was, those three emotions could be mixed, or expanded, and every other emotion came from them, or from the lack of them.

Happiness had died a long time ago. Smiling was, like my childhood, a thing of the past. Contentment was as far as I usually got.

Sadness would only sweep in at small inconsequential times, and usually only if I let my mind wander. I was good at not doing that.

Anger was definitely the most prevalent, and most helpful. It filled me with a drive to move forward, to not just sit back content, to not drown in sadness, to get off my ass and 'kick' ass… which was usually synonymous with stocking shelves or some crap like that.

But no matter what emotion I had, tears could always break out, and usually at the most aggravating times. Thinking about the old days was out, because that was a one-way ticket to Tearsville, but getting angry could sometimes lead to it to. They just snuck up on me.

Looking into the mirror, I threw water into my eyes and let my scowl melt from my face, and let my puffy eyes calm themselves down. I had pulled at the hair on the sides of my head in frustration, once the dishes had been deposited (nearly thrown) into the sink, and now I realized I looked like the same stupid 10 year old with the stupid haircut I used to be. If my hair got long, it usually got weird, standing up on the sides and prone to looking constantly shaggy.

I either allowed it to grow around my ears, halfway down my face, and kept it there, or got it buzzed, close to the scalp. I always kept my sideburns, low as they were.

Looking as I did now though, I realized I did need a haircut, buzzed this time. Left me with no hassle for a good few months, plus it allowed me to keep the little traces of facial hair I grew without looking like a bum.

XxX

I wasn't in the mood for washing dishes, or staying in the house, so I put on some jeans, grabbed my red cap and trusted red hoodie, and headed out to visit the lab.

It was a pretty chilled night, colder than usual, which was a big contrast to the hot and humid days. The storm-worthy clouds were the only similarity.

I grabbed my bike from the back yard, ignoring the smell of ash, and started pedaling my way to the south eastern part of town.

Fifteen minutes later I arrived at the hill that led to the laboratory, various knickknacks attached to the roof, along with a several different satellite dishes, and a white picket fence boxing in the whole thing. Though he technically had always lived with Green and his sister, Professor Oak in reality made the lab his second home. There as scientific, and weird, as the outside of the house looked, changing your point of view to the other side of the house showed what appeared to be a separate, more normal looking home fused into it. A small stairway made of elm led to a back door, which provided a great view of the morning sun.

Of course, this was all from memory. I hadn't stepped foot in this place in years.

From what Mom had told me, the Professor was still just as much of an insomniac, as he'd always been, and back in the days where he'd been Uncle Oak to me, Green, Blue and I would sneak over to his house in the middle of the night, when staying home was too much for one or more of us, and just watch him work.

Green would sometimes mime his grandfather, while Blue and I just laughed, or he would explain, or bullshit, whatever his latest grandfather's project was. Sometimes, at Blue's suggestion, we'd sneak in when he was preoccupied, and see how much we could get away with: Bringing him snacks, sneaking up on him, scaring him…

He was always good at turning the tables on us. He never yelled, since he'd explained right off the bat that we could come over as much as we wanted, as long as we stayed out of the dangerous stuff, and didn't mess with his work.

He even showed us the occasional Pokemon here and there. It'd been fun.

The sound of his locked back door stopped my reminiscing, and I took into account that the only lights on that I could see were the ones he usually left on at night over the stove.

He was an insomniac, but he occasionally overcame it, knowing his limits, and that burning out was detrimental to his progress. More than likely he was home, resting, which meant I'd made the trip for nothing more than exercise.

I walked back around to the front of the lab, and looked out onto the town. Oak had the best view; even if Pallet wasn't a night town, being able to see it like this was a nice treat.

As they always did, my eyes wandered out to the forest area that opened out towards the sea. A small bonfire had been set, probably Green and his friends smoking. I always saw cigarette butts there, whenever I could stand to journey to our old hangout.

Zipping up my jacket, and fixing my hat beneath my hood, I got back on my bike and rode home.

XxX

The next morning, I got prepared with more effort than I thought it'd take. For the life of me I don't know how I managed to leave my hat and cap in the living room, when I hadn't undressed till I'd gotten to my room. The old sleep-walking theory from my childhood came roaring back to me.

I didn't have it in me to check if mom or her car were still here, though it was Sunday so she probably was, so I took the bike, and left.

I took my time, knowing that Pallet Town was early to rise on Sundays only for church, and crossed through the empty streets and sidewalks like 'King Red' of the days of yore. Before I became too depressed, I finally reached the hill to Professor Oak's house, and quickly noticed the two police cars stationed around it.

I parked my bike around the side of the house, adjusted my cap and took off the hood, and walked on inside. _He wasn't there last night…and now police cars… Hope he's ok…_

I barely got a look inside the interior of the lab, front door wide open, and moved to wave to Professor Oak before the three officers around him turned to face me. Their faces looked disbelieving.

Four seconds later, two had their guns pulled out, and the third one cried, "FREEZE!"

X

And that's chapter 3. Took long enough right? Well, to whoever has been reading, or read this at all, hope you're enjoying it. I do have plans for this story, and hope I can continue them once my schedule clears up.

Questions? Comments?

Please Review!

_**Next Episode: Zapped**_

Red pleads the 5th, but does the opposite of that anyway.

Discussions had over what looks like tea, but isn't.

Choices made over what look like Pokemon, but aren't.

And, apparent attempts made at Reconciliation, but only make things worse.

Stay tuned!


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